Monday Night Football: 49ers lead Panthers 10-3 at halftime

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played a sloppy first half in Monday night's game against the Panthers, but his team still leads 10-3 at the halftime break.

Purdy opened the game by leading a 15-play touchdown drive that ate up nearly nine minutes, but then threw interceptions on each of the team's next three possessions. The 49ers defense had an interception of its own and held the Panthers to one field goal before the 49ers were able to drive for Matt Gay's first field goal since joining the Niners.

The 49ers looked like they might be able to drive for even more points, but Purdy misfired on three straight passes before the 47-yard kick with a minute to play in the first half. Purdy ended the half 14-of-23 for 114 yards while Christian McCaffrey picked up 83 yards on 17 touches.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young wasn't any better than Purdy in the first 30 minutes. He followed up Purdy's first interception by trying to force a ball to tight end Mitchell Evans in the end zone and 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown picked it off to keep the Panthers off the board.

Young finished the half 6-of-10 for 28 yards and, per ESPN, the Panthers are the first team to trail at halftime after a three-interception half since Week 12 of the 2021 season. They'll have a chance to start turning things around when they receive the opening kickoff of the third quarter.

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